Marathon Foto is the official photographer of the B.A.A. Half Marathon and representatives will take photos along the course and finish. Proofs will be mailed to all participants shortly after the race, or photos may be ordered on-line at www.marathonfoto.com.

Participants in the B.A.A. Half Marathon will have their bib numbers mailed to them in advance of the race. Please remember to bring your bib number with you on the day of the event. If you have not received your bib number within one week of the event, please contact the B.A.A. at halfregistration@baa.org.

Please handle your bib with care. Your timing device will be attached to the back of your bib, and if it's bent too much, it will not record your time along the route.

No bags will be allowed on buses from Boston to Hopkinton, and bags will not be transported from Hopkinton back to Boston. Bags will not be allowed in certain areas at or near the start in Hopkinton, at or near the finish in Boston, or along the course. At the conclusion of the race, the B.A.A. will provide you with a Heatsheet® Warmth Retention Cape for warmth.

A gear check opportunity on Boston Common will be available on the morning of the Boston Marathon, allowing official participants to have a change of clothing (shoes, pants, shirt, jacket) at the conclusion of the race. The bag to be used for this purpose will be provided at Number Pick-up by the B.A.A. Only this B.A.A.-provided, clear, plastic bag can be used for this purpose. No other bags will be accepted. Any items that you would like to have with you at the conclusion of the race must be placed inside the clear, plastic bag that the B.A.A. will provide for you. You must leave this clear, plastic bag at the gear check area on Boston Common prior to boarding the B.A.A. shuttle bus to the start in Hopkinton. Please be aware that the gear check area on Boston Common is approximately one half mile from the exit of the finish area at Arlington Street.

Historically, runners who beat their qualifying standard by a larger amount of time are more likely to be accepted into the Boston Marathon. Since our rolling registration procedure was introduced in 2012, a cutoff has occurred 3 times:

Due to the high volume of applicants in 2012, the acceptance cutoff was drawn at 74 seconds.

In 2013, we were able to accept all qualified runners who registered during the qualified registration period, so there was no cutoff time.

In 2014, the cutoff for qualifying times was drawn at those who beat their qualifying standard by 98 seconds or faster. The cutoff for the 2015 Boston Marathon was drawn at 62 seconds.

Although these were the cases for previous years, we cannot predict how competitive the registration process will be for 2016, or how quickly it will fill. If you don’t have a qualifying time but still wish to participate, you can apply to run of one of the B.A.A. official charities by contacting them directly. The 2016 B.A.A. charity program will be posted to the charities page on our website next summer.

As your qualifying time is verified, we may find that your name was misspelled, your zip code was wrong, or other minor mistakes with your application. As long as your qualifying time can be verified, these mistakes should not jeopardize your entry into the Boston Marathon. You will be contacted by the B.A.A. eventually to correct this information.

We STRONGLY recommend that all entrants take the official B.A.A. buses from Boston to Hopkinton on race morning, as it is the only way we can ensure that you will get into Hopkinton.

Hopkinton State Park parking and shuttle is for volunteers and spectators only. Registered runners parking at this location and using this shuttle will not be transported to the Athlete’s Village, will have to walk an additional one mile from the drop-off point to the Village, and may be subject to additional security screening to enter the Village. Registered runners are requested to use the shuttle buses from the South Street parking lots in order to ensure their arrival at the Athlete’s Village.

The Boston Marathon began in Ashland, Massachusetts from 1897 through 1923 then moved to Hopkinton for the 1924 race. The course was lengthened to 26 miles, 385 yards to conform to the Olympic standard, and the starting line was moved west from Ashland to Hopkinton. Since then, the race has started in Hopkinton every year.